BERKLEY — Members of the Somerset Berkley Regional School Committee aired their frustrations during their Wednesday night meeting about the Somerset Board of Selectmen demanding financial cuts from the school system without taking into consideration fluctuating annual assessments, volatile special education costs and dynamic funding factors caused by the regionalization of the high school.

“They are interested in one thing, and that’s the bottom line number,” said School Committee Chairman Richard Peirce, who explained that the Somerset Selectmen were looking for $1 million in “uninformed” budget cuts from the school system. “From everything I’ve seen, there is a tendency of the Somerset Board of Selectmen to speak without constructive dialogue.”

Regional School Committee member George Kelly said it would be helpful to go through the budget process with the Somerset Selectmen to show them how state funding assessments work and how other money comes into the district. Kelly said it’s also important to educate them as to how the matter is complicated because “the region is a different animal.”

Committee member Jamison Souza said that he also heard that the Berkley Selectmen are looking for budget cuts as well.

Souza said that a fiscal task force was formed to examine the issue, but instead, during its meetings, it was just the Somerset Board of Selectmen “dictating” with “no give or take.”

By the end of Wednesday night’s meeting, the Regional School Committee decided to invite the Somerset Board of Selectmen and the Berkley Board of Selectmen to their next meeting on March 3 to discuss the budget process.

During Wednesday’s meeting, the school committee also discussed the pressing need to decide on the roles in a shared administration, whether to stick with the status quo or do away with positions.

“We need to come to a common ground,” Souza said. “We need to come to a conclusion in the next several days.”

Committee member Julie Ramos-Gagliardi, who participated in the meeting remotely through speakerphone, was adamant that the district maintains a joint administration and holds a “a real search” for a long-term superintendent should be held, involving the community.

Kelly said it was possible to have a joint administration with two superintendents.

Ramos-Gagliardi asked if there was an appetite for an interim superintendent for the Somerset K-8 district while an extensive regional superintendent search is held. However, committee members expressed the Somerset side appears intent on putting in a regional superintendent in place immediately and doing an extensive search down the road.

They resolved to continue the discussion in executive session at the end of the meeting, without coming back into a public session.

Page 2 of 2 - School Committee member Lori Rothewell informed the committee that a transition team has been formed for the closing of the Wilbur School. The team is having its first meeting on Feb. 25 at 4 p.m.

During Wednesday’s meeting, the superintendent of the Somerset Berkley Regional School District also addressed a situation involving the school resource officer at the high school, a policeman who was removed from his position earlier this week after allegations of misconduct involving a former student. Superintendent Thomas Lynch said that the Somerset Police Department was quick to act and remove Patrolman Brian Dempsey from his role, and that the police department has put out an internal posting to refill the position.

“Hopefully, we’ll have a new one in place in the next few weeks,” Lynch said.

Dempsey was being paid $61,667 as the school resource officer position, according to the Somerset town accountant’s office.